As I stated in a recent post I was recently gifted some expired Kodak Portra 160 VC. An earlier test run turned into a three roll 120 film bender.
All started so innocently. A kind friend gifted me some Kodak Portra 160 120 film that has been in their freezer since 2006. (Thank you very much Rev. Kenneth Brooks.) Very cool. I’ll put a roll through my favorite brick of a camera I says. While I am at it I will bring some other film with me… just in case I says. Then things went hazy and I ran three rolls of film through it in under an hour and a half… Guess I really needed some all manual 120 film therapy then.
That is what happens when you break out a classic.
The Hasselblad is what I use when the shooting experience is the first priority. It is a wonderfully simple and all manual experience. A great tool that makes you take your time if you want a shot and makes the best of its 6×6 real estate providing just that extra pop in a classic square presentation.
Not legendary nor does it have Zeiss written across its lens, but a fine tool with its own advantages. Can easily be used fully manually also, but bring autofocus, auto exposure, and TTL flash to the party making for a fine medium format point and shoot. As a result for still sessions with an environment I can control I will often use the Hasselblad…
…but if there is any unpredictable elements I will reach for the Pentax all day.
Also not that bad at the subject isolation thing.
Add in things like great ergonomics, intuitive controls, and consistently squeezing 16 exposures out of a usually 15 exposure 120 roll over the 12 with 6×6 and the Pentax is a pleasure to use. When quizzed by Wilson what film camera would I have if I could only have one and it was the first one that came to mind with little hesitation. To the film.
Had been treating the gifted Kodak Portra 170 VC with some reverence, but I decided to go ahead and use it. Developed at home with Cinestill CS41.
Kept in a freezer since 2006 it was offered to me for free by a kind friend, Rev. Kenneth Brooks. Here are the photos from visits to some old familiar places I go to kill a roll of film. All 16 frames.
Thoughts on the film? I love it. And unlike the last roll, that looked a bit faded, this roll came out perfectly clear. Plus add in a nice, warm glow that was much more prominent this time around. This intertwined with an act of kindness from a friend and I cannot help but like it.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 